Dance to the Beat
by Sweet Dahlia
Summary: Anna Rye finds herself becoming more and more entangled in the lives of people - who never in a million years - she'd thought she'd ever spend even a second with. As she escapades to the truth behind it all - will she fall for one of them?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Not many people have the chance to fall in love—sure, a lot of people get married and have kids together, but to _really _fall in love is something.

I feel like I joined some sort of special club when I fell in love with him. Of course, falling in love with him was inevitable. I would've sooner or later—if not immediately. I guess knowing that you're destined to be with someone really ups your faith in a relationship—or at least, that's what Emily had said…

Paul… he's different. He isn't like the other imprinted wolves. He doesn't always listen to me, like Jared listens to Kim. He doesn't greet me with a passionate kiss, like Sam greets Emily. He doesn't see me and instantly pull his attention away from the person he's talking to, like Jacob does for Nessie.

But… that's what makes our love… well, love.


	2. Chapter 2: Behavioral Changes

**A/N: **Haven't written a Twilight fic in ages. This feels strange.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Anyway, enjoy~

* * *

><p>Rain pattered against the window pane, creating a soft, soothing rhythm that danced through my room. On rainy days like these, it was hard <em>not <em>to just sit around. It was like unleashing my inner monster of laziness.

"Anna!" My mother's yell was faint—but equally annoying to when she was just two feet away.

I practically forced myself out of bed, and lugged my body towards my bedroom door—

The door flew open, narrowly missing my outstretched hand. "Gah!" I gasped, pulling my hand back quickly. "Mom~!"

"Anna, your laundry is _everywhere!__" _Her hands were twisted into her graying hair, and her pale face had turned beat red. Oh boy was _I _in for it…

"Do you even know how long it took me to clean this house? I was gone for _one __friggin__' __hour _and I come back to a mess like this! You don't even know how livid—"

"Actually, I have a pretty good idea—"

"Shut-_up. _I want you to go downstairs and clean up that mess! Or I'll invite the whole reservation over so they can see your pink panties draped over the _dining __room __seats!__" _

I was already half way downstairs by the time she finished her threat. My mother never was one to hand out empty threats, and I sure as hell wasn't letting _anyone _see my pink panties…

Whoa. When did I make _this _mess? Actually, I don't even remember doing any laundry—let alone come downstairs. Hm. That's odd…

I precariously picked up my slipknot t-shirt, peering around curiously; who could've made this mess? It was just my mother and me here; I didn't have any siblings or pets. My dad was long-gone, somewhere off in wonderland with his latest girlfriend—there's no way he could've done it.

I sighed.

His latest girlfriend refused to notice my existence. My dad _use _to call me once every other day. Now I'm lucky if he picks up the phone once a week—and even when he does, all he says 'oh yeah?' and 'that's really cool'. I mean, it's not like he was the greatest dad in the world, but he could at least give me a call sometime…

Although, I probably would've been tearing my hair out if he still lived with us. Him and my mother use to bicker—not matter the situation. Even when I had to get stitches in my head, they were bickering about who'd pay the hospital bill. Both of them instigated like young children. Besides, he left when we still lived at my mother's parents house. That was a while ago...

"I don't see you picking up clothes." My mother leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and her face was still as red as a tomato. Before I could hastily hurry around scooping my clothes up off the floor and furniture, she went on. "I care for you, I feed you, and sometimes I even pick up after you. Let me tell you, Anna, you're getting to be an adult—don't you think its time you start acting like one? I can't take care of you your whole life, by the time you're my age I'll be dead or hanging on my last minute. Take some responsibility, alright kid?"

I felt like slamming my head on the kitchen table.

That speech was so _old. _I pretended to be falling asleep, lulling my head back. "Hey! You'll give that speech to your kids someday—well, hopefully your kids aren't as lazy as you are. You'd be in for a hell of a—"

"I get it mom. Let me pick up my clothes." I groaned.

"Alright, alright! Don't be so happy about it…" She disappeared into the living room. I heard her exasperated sigh, and the low thump of a pile of winter clothes hitting the floor.

I laughed.

My mother was pretty cool—that is, if you didn't piss her off. She was volatile, sarcastic, and a woman of my own morals. If you asked how many languages she spoke, she would say, with a smirk, 'two'. If you asked what they were, she would answer with a splitting grin 'English and sarcasm'.

I did feel kind of bad for her though. You see, she adopted me from an orphanage in Asheville NC when I was six years old, by that age I had already learned where I was from and my heritage. We lived with her parents for two years, and after many nights of talking about how badly I wanted to go back home—she finally decided to bring me back here, to live. Her parents disowned her afterwards.

That had been the first time I saw her cry.

* * *

><p>By lunch, I had picked up everything and was awaiting a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of plain wavy chips—along with some Dr. Pepper. Usually, I had to prepare all of this myself—but strangely enough, my mother offered to make the whole nine yards for me.<p>

"So, Anna,"

Oh god.

That voice… it meant there was a _catch._

"Sweet Jesus, mother, what'd you do?" I groaned.

"Well, sweetheart, I invited over Emily and her fiancé, Sam Uley—"

"Mom! Not _him.__"_

Sam Uley was the most horrible, stagnant person on this reservation. He had kicked me and my friends out of the convenience store, and almost gotten me arrested for throwing a soda can into the woods—I hated the guy! I didn't want him within two feet of me - let alone in my house!

"Why not?"

My mom swung around from the stove, her hands on her hips. Her face was beginning to turn red—and it wasn't from the heat of the stove.

"He… he's mean!"

You see, my mom didn't _actually _know I had almost got arrested. It took a lot of begging and tears for that to not happen.

"No, he's not. If he was mean, Emily wouldn't be engaged to him. That man does a lot of good for the res. He keeps you and those friends of yours out of trouble."

I noticed painfully that the smell of burnt cheese was wafting through the kitchen. "Um, mom—"

"Yes, I know its burning! It doesn't matter anymore, because you're having lunch with us." I watched in freshly bloomed terror as she dumped out my burnt grilled cheese sandwich.

"But, mom—"

"No buts. I need friends, you need new ones. Maybe Emily will invite you over and you can start hanging out with those good kids—"

"_Mom! _Are you trying to ruin my life? Because I suspect that maybe you are." I spat at her. Every adult thought Sam was a little angel, and those friend's of his were just as great as he was. But the adults never saw them at school—the horrible scowls everyone not apart of their little group would receive, sometimes we'd even get bumped in the shoulders by them—which kind of hurt, since they were _hulking brutes._

"No, I'm trying to save you from a life full of drugs and trouble-making." She growled back, slipping out of her apron and hanging it on the coat hanger by the front door. "Anna, you're grades are horrible, you get into trouble, and you flat out act like a guy sometimes—"

"Hey!"

"I want you to start making better friends so you can make better choices, honey. Those kids Sam takes care of are smart; they stay out of trouble, and hey! They might bring out your girly side; some of them are pretty handsome." By this time, I was glowering at her.

I wish I could just tell her everything about Sam and his friends. She wouldn't believe me if I did, though. They're just saints compared to her own daughter, and god forbid her ever listening to me—

"Oh! They're here!" She squealed.

Ugh. "Cool story bro. In which chapter do you shut the hell up?" I grumbled. Her eyes narrowed, and her hand came soaring towards my face—landing right on my left cheek.

"_OUCH!__" _

"Watch your mouth, missy." She glared at me as she went to open the door. Her glare turned to a friendly smile as she was greeted by the hulking Sam Uley and the dainty Emily Young.

"Hello! Welcome you two!"

Sam offered a smile and Emily pulled my mother in for a hug, "Thanks so much for inviting us, Lynda! It's nice to get out of the house once in a while." My mother laughed and moved to let them in. Sam must've noticed me rubbing my cheek and the tears of pain swelling in my eyes, because a smile appeared on his face—a real, genuine smile.

"Hello, Anna." He greeted.

I noticed that his attire consisted of cut off jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. I snorted, "Way to wear clothes, Uley—"

"_Anna.__"_

As my mother passed me, she whacked me across the back of my head. "Ouch! I mean, hi Sam. How're you doing?" I acted as if my mother hadn't just given me a concussion.

"Good. You?"

No friggin' way. Was he sitting at the table…_ like he actually wanted to talk to me?_ Even if he did, anyway, I had no desire to talk to him… he got me a red cheek and an aching head.

"Just fine, thanks." I answered in a dull voice.

"So, Emily! What's in that package you brought?"

"Well, it's a marinated…"

My mother and Emily delved into a conversation. Sam glanced at Emily, smiled, and then looked back at me.

He leaned forward, and the poor chair creaked loudly.

"Anna, would you like to come back to our house after lunch? I heard you were into Call of Duty." His dark eyes swirled with mystery, and lips were set in a straight line.

I narrowed my eyes.

"She would love to!" My mother had jumped in before I could reply with a 'hell to the no'. "Oh, this girl just sits up in her room and plays it all day!" She glared at me for a short second, and then continued beaming at Sam.

"Alright, then. It's a deal!" Emily smiled at me—well, as best as she could. Every time I see her, I try not to notice the long, jagged scars tearing down her face and disappearing into her flannel shirt. She had suddenly come home one day with a bandaged up face and Sam Uley by her side.

_I_ think he threw her at the bear.

I spared a smile for Emily—everyone liked her, she was the sweetest woman around these parts of Washington. No one understood why she had chosen Sam Uley to be engaged to…

* * *

><p>For the next half an hour, Sam and I sat awkwardly beside one another—waiting for the lunch that was starting to smell a lot better than a grilled cheese sandwich.<p>

"Man! That was a good lunch." Sam leaned back in the chair—I almost felt that chairs pain—and rubbed his stomach. I tried my best not to feel like a midget as he unfurled his complete height by stretching.

Sam was the biggest of them all, standing at about six nine and weighing… well, _a lot._

"Why, thank you Sam! But I shouldn't take credit; it was your lovely fiancé that did most of the cooking." I restrained from rolling my eyes at my mom.

Emily laughed, a red tint awakening her copper cheeks. "Aw, well, I didn't do all of it…"

"Sam, Anna, why don't you two clean up the table while Emily and I chat in the living room?" Had my mother planned this out? It was suspiciously perfect…

Before I could protest, they left without another word. Sam hopped up from his seat—unfortunately, he didn't hit his head on the fan. "Just put the dishes in the sink?" He mumbled, while collecting the platter dish and silverware.

"Um—yeah." I answered precariously.

I wanted to comment on Sam's sudden change of attitude towards everything—but then was reminded by my mother's laugh that maybe a snide comment would earn me a black eye.

I hesitantly picked up the plates and cups, never taking my eyes off of Sam. The guy seemed unpredictable—I didn't trust him. Just yesterday he was yelling at me for 'loitering'. Now he's this friendly guy who invites me over for a game of Call of Duty and helps clean up after dinner—there was a whole other side to Sam Uley I didn't even know about…

Maybe he was bi-polar.

It didn't take us long to pick up everything. The dishes were piled in the sink, and I realized dreadfully I was minutes closer to being at Sam Uley's house—the very place where the devil and his minions did all their evil planning.

I was fairly surprised when Sam patted me on the back and said, "Good job, we have nice teamwork." Now, what was this? We were a team now? Oh lord, had I become apart of his cult?

I cringed at the thought.

"Alright, well, we should get going. The boys won't know what to do when they find we're not there!" Emily stepped back into the kitchen, a bright smile lighting up her scarred face.

I didn't fail to notice, that even with the scars, she was still a beautiful woman. Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and gave a small squeeze.

"Okay! It was such a pleasure having you over! Have fun, Anna! Don't get in any trouble." The last sentence lacked humor.

"No promises," I said under my breath as I slipped into my combat boots. Sam glanced at me with small smirk, humor glimmering in his dark black eyes.

"Bye guys!"

My mom waved from the doorway, her smile not once faltering as we grew further and further away from her. Walking in La Push was common, since it was such a small town and we all lived so close to each other.

Emily laughed. "Your mom is a wonderful woman, Anna."

I smiled, "I can tell you haven't lived with her." It felt nice to return to my snide-self, and not receiving a wooden spoon across my face. "I can also tell she really likes hanging out with you—she isn't usually that cheerful." I added after seeing Emily start to frown.

Her smile returned. "Well, I like hanging out with her too! Maybe we should go shopping sometime, just us girls." I held back my gag.

_Shopping. Ew._

Shopping was the primary source of disgust in my life. I liked sending someone else out for me with a size and a band name.

"Yeah," I said uneasily.

"Actually, would you like some clothes? I think we're about the same size. I have some old clothes I don't even wear…" Emily stopped in front of me, pulling at my Nickelback tee shirt.

"That'd be cool," I said, doing my best to sound optimistic. Emily was one of those people you tried to keep happy twenty four seven. She was just so nice and sweet, that you felt that if you hurt her feelings you'd end up killing yourself later.

"Great! Maybe after a few games of that Duty of call…" She moved back to her original spot between Sam and I.

Sam chucked, "Call of Duty, sweetheart."

Soon enough, I was standing awkwardly on their front porch, listening to the racket inside of the small, log cabin.

"…No! It's _mine~__"_

Emily sighed. "I thought I'd have a few minutes before they showed up…" Her expression was genuinely worried.

I bit my lip—so hard I felt my teeth rip into the flesh of my bottom lip. I didn't want to sit a room with those brutes—let alone play _CoD_ with them...

Sam opened the door for Emily, who entered looking wrapped up in her thoughts and worries. I stood there, waiting for him to enter—he watched me, raising a thick brow.

"Are you going in?" He asked.

The racket inside had quieted, and I was sure they were listening for my answer.

"Um… you can go first." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head uncomfortably. I didn't want to go in until I had to, and if that meant standing here until Sam finally went in—well, yeah, I'd do it.

"Ladies first." He insisted, a glint of amusement dancing across his face.

"I'm pretty sure I don't count as a lady. I don't put a napkin on my lap when I eat, when I have a cold I don't use a tissue to wipe my nose, and I play Call of Duty like a friggin' boss." I smirked at his expression, which was _hilarious, _by the way.

"Okay… point proven."

He stepped into his house first, and I happily went in after him. There was a faint whisper looming in the air, all sounding confused. "Don't mind them. They haven't seen a single girl for weeks," Sam chuckled, before disappearing into the kitchen. I glared after him.

How did he know I was single or not? Maybe I had a boyfriend… I sighed. But I didn't. This was seriously a 'fuck my life' sort of moment.

After my moment of failure, I started to realize that I was just standing in the foyer—having inner monologs. The silence was starting to eat away at my insides, so I forced myself into the room where the whispering had come from.

I was met with a group of boys—if they even counted as boys. You could sort of tell they were Sam's friends.

I only recognized Jacob Black, Quil Atera, and Embry Call. They _use _to be my friend's, back before they got joined a cult and started using steroids. "Anna?" Embry's nose wrinkled.

"Nice to see you too, Embryo." I sneered sarcastically.

I selected my spot on the couch, carefully positioning myself away from the two boys I didn't know. Even if I wasn't friends with Jacob, Quil, or Embry anymore, the familiar atmosphere still lingered.

"So, mind if I have a go after you guy's finish up these rounds?" I asked, settling into the old sofa. All I received as a reply was a blank stare and dropped jaws.

I rolled my eyes, "I know. I'm hot, right? But I was invited her to play some CoD. So I'd like to _actually _play, if you wouldn't mind."

Quil was the first one to speak, "You were _invited?__"_

"Yes, NyQuil." Rekindling their old nicknames was giving me something to do while I waited for them to snap out of their little dazes.

"And… Emily invited you?" One of the boys I didn't know said.

I slowly shook my head, "… no. Sam did."

Before the awkward air could intensify, Sam arrived. "Yes, I invited Anna. Why don't you let her have a turn on the Xbox when you finish up those rounds?" I felt like a small child again, meeting a new kid unexpectedly and watching them get reprimanded by their parent.

"O… okay?" Said Jacob precariously.

"Alright then." I mumbled, settling into my spot.

"Anna." I glanced back up at Sam as he said my name. "You're welcome here any time." His tone was softer than his normal deep voice.

I narrowed my eyes, "Did my mom pay you? How much? Because damnit, it's probably more than my allowance—"

"Your mom didn't pay me. You're a good kid, Anna. And I think having you around these guys could really brighten up their moods." I raised a brow.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

Wow. That's a surprise. And also a first. Usually I was the one who screwed up people's moods… I was the one who was so sarcastic that I'd put them in a _suicidal_ mood.

"Seriously, how much did my mom pay you?" I was suspicious. It was no secret that Sam Uley loathed me just yesterday. What was with the sudden change of heart?

"You'll be good for them." Was all he said before he stepped out of the room. The silence in the room carried on, until the Jacob cleared his throat.

"I guess… I guess we'll do the next round together, Anna?" The corner of his lip turned up in a smirk—and I knew he was remembering our Mario bros. days.

I smirked at the two boys I didn't know—

Why was that one staring at me like that? "Um… hi." I greeted awkwardly, raising my eyebrows in wonderment. He didn't reply, and continued with his never-ending stare.

I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were a warm, chocolate brown that reminded me of the cookies my mother use to bake for me.

"Do I have something on my face?" I pushed my side bangs behind my ear.

"Oh, uh… no. I was just… uh… tired. Yeah—I mean, I am tired." I decided to just let it go.

"Alright… well, um. As I was going to say: be prepared to get creamed! I've had six months of confined practice," Quil and Embry had finished up their last round, and handed over the wireless controllers to Jake and I.

"Ready to kick some ass, Jake?" I smirked.

"You know it."

For the rest of the time I was there, the boy staring at me a few minutes prior, hadn't unglued his eyes from me the whole time.


	3. Chapter 3: First

**A/n: **Finally! Sorry for such a long wait. I'd like to take this time to tell you: you're in for quite a ride, and this is only the second chapter. I really do hope what goes on in here doesn't scare you off.

...I bet you thought this was going to be all smooth sailing.

Kiss kiss,

Dahlia xoxo

* * *

><p>"Had a great time Anna," Jared grinned as he said this, extending his arm out towards me with his hand balled into a fist. I hesitated before precariously bumping it with mine. He laughed, ruffling my hair before disappearing down the hall.<p>

I grinned after him.

Jared and I had kicked ass at CoD together, we'd made it past five rounds. If I could insert smiley faces whenever I talked to him, I would. I had to admit – precariously, though – that I had a small crush on Jared. He was a sweet guy, and he was an awesome CoD player. What girl wouldn't want that? The only downside would him being about five years older than I am – putting him as an adult and me as a minor.

I jumped as I felt a scalding hand clasp my shoulder. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." I could tell by the tone of Paul's voice that he was smirking.

Paul was the one who'd been staring at me creepily – if Jared hadn't said anything I'm sure he'd still be gazing at me from the arm of the couch. "That's alright," I brushed his hand off my shoulder, and stepped back a bit.

For some odd reason, Paul frightened me. He was so… I don't know. Something about him just seemed off – like the way he stares at me when he thinks I'm not looking. He looked like he was a blind man seeing for the first time – like I was as radiant as the sun.

"I'll walk you home, if you'd like." He smiled, his gleaming white teeth peeking out from behind his full lips.

A chill rolled down my back.

"Um – I… I think I can go by myself –"

"Come on, he's digging you! Give the guy a chance," I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Jared leaning against the wall, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

After a moment of silence – and Paul nastily scowling at Jared – I spoke up. "I just didn't want to hurt your feelings, Jared. I know you've got a little crush on me~" I grinned after this, potentially lightening the mood.

"_Please. _What are you, like four?" He laughed.

I laughed, and bit down hard on my lip; _ouch. _Low blow. "Seventeen thank you very much." I placed my hand on the door frame, and dug my nails into the wood. I could feel the tiny splinters forcing themselves underneath my short nails – but it distracted me from the odd sensation boiling in my chest.

"It's dark out – why don't you both walk her home." Sam had stepped out of the kitchen. I noticed that he was blatantly in front of Paul, separating him and Jared.

"A'ight. I'm fine with that," Jared shrugged, grinning again.

* * *

><p>The air was silent, and I was wedged between the two warm bodies of Paul and Jared. I was tempted to take my jacket off because of the immense heat formulating between these two, but I feared Paul's trademark gaze – and when I say trademark, I really mean creepy. I walked mechanically, making sure not to attract any attention to myself.<p>

I knew that both of them could sense I was very uneasy, and the atmosphere around us three was very tense and awkward.

"Erm – ah – Anna."

I bit down on my tongue, and looked to Paul. "Hm?" I could see the terrifying gaze forming in his brown eyes, and I began to search for something else to look at, but all my eyes fell on were those deep, chocolaty brown eyes of his.

"Um… I was wondering if I could… take you out on a date…?" My heart began to assault my ribcage, and the odd feeling began to dew in the pit of my stomach once more. An explosion of words threatened to pour out of my mouth, but it only hung slightly open as I stared at him.

I didn't like this feeling he gave me.

I wanted to destroy it, to annihilate every last morsel of it from my body. There was no way I was going out on a date with this guy. He was screwed up – no, _he was screwing me up. _If I hadn't of ever come over to Sam's house this mother fucker would've never been a problem – god damnit what was I supposed to say?

"Uh… yeah."

God damnit. Now I had to put on a fake smile and act all nice and shit – fuck my life. Oh, look at that grin he was wearing, fucking hell.

"Alright, seven o' clock on Tuesday okay?"

Tell him you can't go. Do it, Anna. Don't even invest your time in this lunatic's romance. Remember the way he stared at you? Remember that awful feeling that welled in the pit of your stomach? Reject that fuck.

"Yeah. That sounds great." I forced a smile on my lips.

Out of all the people I could be mean to, why couldn't I be mean to him? Why couldn't I laugh right in his face and flat-out reject him? Why…?

Before our conversation could be any furthered, I noticed the peeling blue paint of my house before me. Relief flooded through me as I turned to bid my goodbye to the two boys.

"Bye, Jared~" He held his arms open, seemingly beckoning me into them. I grinned before wrapping my arms around his torso and giving a tight squeeze. I noted just how warm he was.

I drew away and turned towards my house, and almost ran head first into Paul. "Bye Anna." His voice was strained, and his shoulders trembled as he stared at me with immense anger boiling in his smoldering brown eyes.

"Bye…?" I trailed off, and began to question Paul's sanity once again. Lord… I can't believe I was going on a date with this guy – and damn. _My first date ever, too. _

I slid past the enraged boy before anything else could be said, and hurried in to my home. After shutting the front door tightly behind me, I peeked out the front window just in time to see Paul and Jared disappear into the forest beside my home.

"What the –"

"Looks like you got two boys chasing after you now, huh?" I jumped, and turned around to see my mother standing before me dressed in a light magenta robe and pink slippers. She held a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, and occasionally sipped from it. A smug smile was set on her lips as she stared at me.

"You see? I told you if you just got out –"

"They're just friends, mom." I was reluctant to mention the date I had with Paul on Tuesday. Mentioning significant male names in this household was a bit on a catatonic side – especially since my mother was borderline compulsive on getting me married by the time I was twenty-five.

Her face fell. "What? How could you not be the least bit interested in either of them?" I shrugged, feeling the easy smile that slipped on to my face whenever I was talking to my mother.

"You're the strangest girl I've ever met, Anna. I'm starting to think you're a lesbian." The corners of her lips turned down, and a glimmer of sadness sparked in her eyes.

I bit down on my lip. Gushy moments with my mother were always a hard bullet to dodge. "I better be off to bed now, I'm pretty tired." I threw her one last smile before rushing upstairs and into my room.

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch…" The words <em>'Game over' flashed<em> across the black screen. Sighing angrily, I tossed the controller onto my cushioned computer chair, and flopped back on to my bed.

A few hours had passed since I'd gotten home, and in that time I hadn't been able to get my mind off of Jared or Paul. I mean… first off, Jared has to be all cute and shit and make me develop a miniscule crush on him – mind you, _miniscule _– and then Paul… he was just… ugh. He had to be such a fucking creep and then make me say yes to going on a date with him.

I closed my eyes, listening to the blissful silence that had formed in my room. Before I knew it, I had began to doze off into a light slumber.

There was a loud racket outside my room – but I wasn't sure from where. I assumed it was my mom doing the laundry, since the washer and dryer were in the closet right beside my bedroom, and she didn't understand the concept of silence.

The low thump and vibration of her footsteps reverberated throughout my room, and just as I began to open my eyes –

"Silent Hill, huh?"

I gasped, feeling my heart jump into my throat as I jumped from my bed, and sending myself flying in to my closet door. Standing there, _in my bedroom, _was Jared. He was shirtless, and a tribal tattoo was standing blatantly on his left bicep. His green cargo pants hung low on his hips, and I could see the V leading down to his – erm… genitals.

"What the fuck – how – when? Jared – what the fuck are you doing here…?" I gasped for a breath of air, and my heart hammered away in my chest.

I reached for my nightstand drawer and pulled it open; I rummaged around for a moment before pulling out my inhaler. After a short use, I threw it back in the drawer and slammed it shut.

"You have asthma?" He questioned.

"That doesn't matter. Why the fuck are you in my room? No – How did you get in my room?" As my heart slowed, it began to drop. Was Jared just like Paul…?

"Your window was open," A grin spread across his face, and I began to doubt my conclusion. His gleaming white teeth shone with a radiance not even a dentist could achieve, his eyes were a beautiful shade of onyx, and his skin looked so soft… I was tempted to run my hand across his muscular chest – just to feel his soft, flawless skin. As his grin faded, he seemed to notice my assessment. For a long, dragging moment we stood in silence and stared at one another.

The minutes ticked by. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes from the man standing in the middle of my room – and the man standing in the middle of the room couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from me.

After what seemed like hours, Jared finally cleared his throat. "So…" Regret flickered across his face, and he glanced over his shoulder. "Sorry… for scaring you."

"It's alright," I couldn't find any other words to say.

"This may seem really weird… but I'm kind of doing this to piss Paul off." His trademark grin spread across his face, and I couldn't help but snort in laughter.

"Is he out there or something?" I precariously crossed the room towards the window, and peered out into the dark night. A burning hand grasped my arm gently and tugged me away from the window.

His grin hadn't disappeared in the short moment my eyes had been off him. "Why don't we make Paul really jealous?" My heart began to hammer away in my chest harder than before. He hadn't taken his hand off my arm, and instead of doing so he placed his free hand on my other arm. The heat radiating from him was immense, and I could feel a very rare blush rising to my cheeks.

"Okay, this is taking it a bit too far –"

"Shh," He put his finger to my lips, silencing me. "Just go along with this, okay?" I shook my head back and forth vigorously, and attempted to pull out of his grasp; I didn't want to do this, I didn't want to deal with any drama in my life, but the next thing Jared did… I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

He pressed his lips softly to mine. I felt my whole body tense up, and suddenly it was as if I was floating on a cloud. Jared's lips and mine were moving together softly, and all I could feel was his burning hands on my arms.

In that one moment… I realized that I had more than a miniscule crush on Jared. Maybe it was because he'd treated me to my first kiss, or the tingle he left in my body each time he receded for air. All I knew was that I wanted to be with Jared.

"Man, I kind of wish you were a lesbian now."

I retracted from Jared, yanking my arms from his grasp and folding them behind my back. I grinned sheepishly.

My mother stood in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest. She had a smug look set in her eyes, and it wasn't before I caught sight of who was behind her that I connected the pieces.

"You little snitch." Jared growled, scowling at Paul.

Paul didn't respond. I felt a tightening guilt in my chest as I stared into his brown eyes. "This isn't what it looks like – I mean – Jared said he wanted to – okay, let me explain –"

"There's no need to explain, Anna. If you didn't want to go on a date with me then all you had to say was no." Tears gleamed in his eyes, and before I could respond he turned away curtly and left. I could hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs, and his ragged breathing – and then finally, the front door slamming. It filled the awkward silence in the house, and left me shaken.

"Oh, honey…" My mother's smug look had turned to a sympathetic.

I'd never felt something as intense as this. This… this _radiating pain. _I'd done a horrible thing. I hurt Paul. Suddenly I wished I could take everything I'd said about him back, because no matter what… he was a human being. Everyone deserved respect, and I'd disrespected him – I had lied right to his face.

"Jared, you should leave." My mother beckoned him out of my bedroom, and he silently went.


End file.
